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Power Outage Information for Customers in Rancho Mission Viejo

We would like to make you aware of important information on the backup battery that is available for purchase from Cox to maintain your home phone service during a short term power outage. No battery is installed with certain equipment used to provide your service and you are responsible for ordering a battery from Cox at (855) 324-7700.

If you have a home alarm system or home health monitoring system that relies on your telephone line to operate, you will lose access to the service during a power outage unless you have a backup battery. If you have any questions about this information or need our assistance, please contact Cox Customer Support.

How to Maintain Telephone Service During a Short-Term Power Outage

An embedded Multimedia Terminal Adaptor (also called a “phone modem”) and a micronode have been installed to provide Cox Digital Telephone service within your home. Both work on household power. The micronode includes a backup battery but the phone modem does not. You may purchase a battery for your phone modem to ensure continued service during a power outage. Once purchased and installed, the phone modem battery and the Cox-provided micronode battery provides at least 8 hours of backup power.

During a power outage, we recommend that you keep non-emergency calls to a minimum to prolong the life of the batteries. If the power outage lasts beyond the capabilities of either battery, you will not be able to place or receive calls (including 911) until power is restored.

It Is Your Responsibility to Purchase and Monitor the Battery and Order a Replacement

You are responsible for contacting Cox to purchase a battery for each phone modem, and ordering a replacement battery when necessary. Cox provides a battery for your micronode at the time your Cox phone service is installed. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING THE TELEPHONE MODEM AND MICRONODE BATTERIES AND CONTACTING COX WHEN EITHER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. For information on how to monitor your telephone modem’s and micronode’s battery health and purchase a telephone modem replacement battery, please review the FAQs below. You may also contact Cox Customer Support.

When the micronode battery needs to be replaced, contact Cox Customer Support to schedule an appointment for a technician to replace the micronode battery at no charge. Cox cannot guarantee that batteries purchased from sources other than Cox will be compatible with the telephone modem and micronode provided by Cox. Under normal operating conditions, most batteries will not need to be replaced for several years. However, factors such as age and temperature could impact battery performance. Therefore, Cox recommends that you check your batteries on a regular basis. Similar to your fire alarm, you might consider checking your telephone modem and micronode batteries twice a year.

Lifeline Customers

Lifeline customers will receive a free telephone modem backup battery by mail when their application for Lifeline is processed and they are determined to be eligible. If you purchase a telephone modem battery before you are deemed eligible for Lifeline you will receive a bill credit for the cost of the battery after your eligibility is established. Lifeline customers are responsible for monitoring the health of the battery as discussed on this page, but will not be charged when they order a replacement battery.

Other Information on Installing and Maintaining Your Service and Battery Installation

A Cox technician will install your micronode and its backup battery inside a small utility cabinet on the side of your house. The micronode has access to electrical power available in the cabinet. You can access the backup battery by removing the utility cabinet cover (this may require use of a screwdriver).

Your phone modem will be installed inside your home and needs to be placed near a cable outlet in order to connect to Cox’s network. Please discuss any special needs you have with the Field Service Representative installing your service. If you are installing services through our self-install process, please ensure that you place your phone modem near a cable wall outlet and electrical outlet. If you have any questions about phone modem placement, please contact Cox Customer Support.

Additional Battery Information — Many of the phone modems and micronodes we use today do not support an additional spare battery. If you are interested in obtaining an alternative power source for your Cox Digital Telephone service or other electronics for use during a power outage, please contact your local hardware store for possible options. The phone modem and micronode batteries can only provide power to themselves. They cannot provide power to any external communications devices that require electricity. This means that during a power outage, cordless phones and adaptive telecommunications devices used by disabled customers (which require electricity) may not be available for use. If you have a cordless phone for your daily use, Cox encourages you to keep a corded phone available for use during a power outage. For adaptive devices, please consult the manufacturer for options. It is important to keep the batteries connected to the phone modem and micronode in order for the batteries to remain charged. Removal of the battery from the phone modem or micronode will cause the battery to lose its charge and you will be unable to place or receive calls during a power outage, including 911. The phone modem should be plugged directly into an electrical outlet and not connected to a power strip or an electrical outlet controlled by a wall switch. If you do remove the battery, please make sure you replace it carefully and avoid bending the pins in the battery bay. If you bend the pins, the phone modem and micronode may not work on battery power. If this occurs, you must contact Cox to request a new equipment. If we find that your equipment or batteries have been damaged through improper use, Cox may assess a charge to replace the equipment.

Important Liability Information — The equipment installed by Cox requires power to operate properly. You have an obligation to ensure that the equipment is connected to electrical power at all times, that you purchase a phone modem battery for electrical power outages, and that you monitor the equipment’s’ battery health. Cox is not liable to you if you experience an interruption of service due to power outages, including failure due to the absence or insufficiency of battery backup power or an outage affecting the Cox network with the exception of any applicable service or billing credits. If Cox is found to be grossly negligent in its installation or disconnection of your service, Cox will be liable for any direct damages to property or persons that result from such gross negligence. Under no circumstance will Cox be liable for punitive or consequential damages or lost profits.

FAQs

What is Cox’s battery policy?

Telephone Modem: A battery is not included with a telephone modem. Any time after their Cox Digital Telephone installation, customers have the option to purchase a telephone modem battery.

Exceptions:

Lifeline customers will automatically be shipped a telephone modem battery at no charge after their Lifeline eligibility has been verified.

Lifeline customers will have the option of receiving replacement telephone modem and micronode batteries at no charge.

Customers whose Cox phone service was ordered prior to November1, 2013t may continue to order a replacement telephone modem and micronode battery free of charge.

Customers whose Cox phone service is ordered after November 1, 2013 will have the option to purchase a telephone modem replacement battery when necessary. Cox will replace the micronode battery at no charge to the customer.

Micronode: Cox will provide the backup battery for your micronode at no charge.A Cox technician will install the micronode battery when your phone service is installed. You will be responsible for monitoring the micronode battery health and contacting Cox when a replacement is needed.

When did this policy start?

Effective November 1, 2013, a battery is not provided with the Cox Digital Telephone modems for new Cox Digital Telephone customers. Micronode batteries will be provided at no charge.

How do I order batteries for my telephone modem and micronode?

Telephone Modem Battery:

Contact us at 855-324-7700 or visit any Cox Retail Store to order a battery for your telephone modem.

Micronode Battery:

A Cox Technician will install your micronode backup battery when your phone service is installed.When needed, contact us at 888-203-9060 to arrange for Cox to replace your micronode battery.

Will there be a charge for the batteries?

Telephone Modem Battery:

For all Cox Digital Telephone services ordered on November 1, 2013 or after, there is a charge for the battery backup.

Note: The charge is $24.99 plus tax for the battery. You may pick up your battery at one of our retail locations or we can have it shipped to your residence at no charge.

For customer orders placed prior to November 1, 2013 the battery is free.

If you are a Lifeline customer, the battery will be automatically shipped to you at no charge after your Lifeline eligibility has been confirmed.

Note: Lifeline is a government program designed to make telephone service affordable for low-income families.

Micronode Battery:

There is no charge for the micronode battery. Cox will provide a battery with the micronode at the time that Cox phone service is installed. Customers can arrange for Cox to provide a replacement battery when needed at no charge.

How long will it take to receive the battery if ordered over the telephone?

Telephone Modem Battery:

Once you have requested your battery, you can expect to receive your battery within two to

three business days.

Micronode Battery:

When the initial battery needs to be replaced, contact Cox at 888-203-9060 to schedule an appointment for a Cox technician to replace your micronode battery.

How do I install the new battery?

Your telephone modem has a battery indicator light on the front of the device, which displays the status of the battery.

The following table provides the status of your telephone modem battery.

What if I am not comfortable replacing my telephone modem battery?

Contact your Cox Customer Care representative to schedule a service appointment for battery installation at no charge.

What is the warranty policy on the telephone modem battery?

The warranty period is one year.

How will I know that my micronode battery is working once it is installed and how will Itell when it needs to be replaced?

A backup battery for your micronode will be installed by a Cox technician when your phone service is installed. The Cox technician will ensure that the battery is functioning. Cox recommends that you check the battery health twice a year. Your Cox micronode and backup battery unit are housed in a small utility cabinet on the outside of your home. After opening the utility cabinet (removal may require a screwdriver), locate the backup battery unit, which is pictured below. Lights on the front of the backup battery unit indicate micronode powering status:

If the red light is flashing, please contact your Cox Customer Care at 888-203-9060 so that we can schedule an appointment for a technician to install a micronode replacement battery.

How do I recycle the batteries?

Telephone Modem Battery: If you order over the telephone, you will receive a preprinted FedEx label included with your new telephone modem battery to use when returning the old battery, if you have one. You can also recycle your old battery at any Cox Retail Store.

Micronode Battery: For the micronode battery, the Cox technician installing your replacement battery will take the original micronode battery for recycling.

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